


Eyes of Life

by Tamara_vonB



Series: Eyes of Life [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Disorder, Awkward Romance, Body Shaming, Eventual Smut, F/M, LGBTQ Themes, Light Angst, Plus size MC, Social Anxiety, True Mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-10-11 18:39:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17452316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamara_vonB/pseuds/Tamara_vonB
Summary: Phạm Trà is doing her best to get by in life with her social and generalised anxiety disorders. Struggling to find her Alpha, add spice in her lifestyle, and make new friends was made more difficult as she gets let go from her job. The universe must be intent to screw with her, and she couldn't do much to fight it.





	1. Meet Phạm Trà

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Painter's Embrace](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17051618) by [Tilltheendwilliwrite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tilltheendwilliwrite/pseuds/Tilltheendwilliwrite). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Phạm Trà on a bus where she spots an incompatible Alpha, a rarity all the same. When she gets fired, her anxiety ramps up as her routine is broken in the worst way possible.
> 
> The reason I started over is because I liked the way Tilltheendwilliwrite arranged her works. It makes more sense this way too.

Anxiety ran through her veins like electricity ran through houses. Phạm Trà was on the CAT too early in the morning for the call from work to be anything good. Her dark brown eyes scanned the entire train from her spot in the back corner. No one had an aura compatible to hers. It caused her anxiety to spike as she pressed the button for her stop. Finding her mate seemed to be the one thing the universe was intent on making impossible. Being born an Omega meant she had to search harder for an Alpha, she refused to settle for a Beta if one wasn’t her true mate.

When she stepped off the bus, she caught a whiff of a pleasant smell and immediately threw her head back to find the owner of the cologne. A pair of bright pink eyes met hers, but the bus was already driving away before she could begin to sign and ask if he was hers. It was rare to find an Alpha on a bus, and for her to have seen one in her 20 years of existing was a big deal. However, something told her that those eyes weren’t meant for her alone; and the smell was pleasant, not irresistible.

Walking the remaining two blocks to her job at the pizza shop Cavone’s in a thoughtful silence, Phạm Trà missed the way people cleared from her path. Omegas had the reputation for being quick to fighting, and the way her dark eyes were partially covered by her lowered eyebrows in a frown—not that she was aware of it—people took it as a sign that she was ready to blow at the drop of a hat. When she finally came back to the present, there was no one in sight, and she assumed that it was too early for people to be out. Taking a deep breath to try calming her nerves, she walked inside Cavone’s.

Her boss met her halfway inside. And her face was anything but pleasant. Mrs. Cavone, a middle-aged Beta with an Omega mate, glared at her with fiery orange eyes made of the sun. “We need to talk.”

Phạm Trà nodded and gave a slight bow, forgetting that she wasn’t allowed to do that in the pizzeria. “Yes, ma’am. I figured that’s why you called me here so early. What do you want to talk about?”

“Don’t bow. You’re not at home. We have to talk about your interactions with the customers. All you ever do is give them things for free when they complain. That’s like giving them money. And if you _do_ stand up to them, you’re a stuttering mess,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. She yanked out a chair and collapsed into it in a rage.

"I'm-sorry. I have moderate social anxiety. So talking to people I don't know or people who make-me uncomfortable makes it s-pike," she apologised, resisting the urge to bow again. Her mother didn't raise her to be disrespectful, but no one had been very enthusiastic about her bowing to them. "I thought we talked about this when I first got interviewed."

Mrs. Cavone rolled her eyes again. "I didn't think you were serious about it. I thought you were just saying that to get out of talking to customers like a normal employee. But because of you, I'm losing money. So now I've got two options to choose from: up my prices and potentially lose customers because of how expensive it'll be, or fire you. I'm going with the second option. Don't let the door hit you on your way out."

Phạm Trà's mouth dropped in surprise. Her routine. The routine she'd forced herself to make to make her life more interesting. The routine she'd forced herself to make to get her own place to do her own things without being questioned. The routine she'd forced herself to make to try taking control of her anxiety. Her routine. It was ruined.

**~~~~~**

The bus ride to her apartment in downtown Baton Rouge was silent and full of raging emotions, giving her an upset stomach as her anxiety went through the roof. What was she going to do? She couldn't ask her mom for money because that would mean telling her mother. And that was _not_ the news her mother wanted to hear after her only daughter moved out. It would be a disaster of a visit.

It was silent when Phạm Trà walked into her apartment. There was no sound of a mate to greet her, no sounds of a pet calling out to her, not even sounds of a TV or radio accidentally being left on. It was silent when Phạm Trà walked into her apartment, and it was a lonely feeling to know she had nothing and no one waiting for her. She barely had the energy to take off her shoes before she rushed to the bathroom, emptying out her stomach in the toilet. When she could breathe again, she simply laid on the bathroom floor. She couldn't bring herself to get up and retreat to her bed if all she was going to do was go back and forth from the bathroom to puke.

As she stared at the side of the bathtub, she contemplated where her life went wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we meet our female MC. I made her Vietnamese, so please, if you have any tips to make sure I'm representing her properly, give them to me. Especially if you're Vietnamese. I'm just a little tired of seeing a bunch of white MC's because while I look white in person, I'm way too mixed to be white. My mom is half black and half German, and my DBD is Mexican (though I was told he wasn't even full Mexican), so seeing just plain old white people makes me feel left out. Imagine how other people feel. I decided to make her a POC not for brownie points, but because I want to see more people included in stories. In the next chapter, we'll meet the male MC.


	2. Hello! It's Dmytro!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dmytro is searching for his Omega as he's scoping out all the good smoothie shops. In the process, he's trying to avoid the hot-headed Omega trying to catch his attention.

Another sigh left Dmytro's bloody lips as he coated them with minty lip balm. Learning how to fight proved to be harder than he'd expected, and it was painfully obvious to him that he was completely unprepared for any self-defense moves. The world was dangerous for his kind, for him, and every attempt he made to feel a little safer was making him regret trying. It was taxing on his weak body, and it left his muscles screaming for relief every morning after training. And despite training for one day a week for a month---it allowed him to earn the money he needed to pay the trainer and let his muscles heal---he still couldn't manage to block a punch in time.

He tried not to let the stares of people on the bus get to him as he scanned for a compatible aura, his bright grey eyes jumping from person to person. No one had a colour surrounding them, and Dmytro took that as a sign that no one was compatible with him. He pouted and looked out the window, letting the rising sun gently warm up his dark skin. The sky was devoid of clouds, and the sun just barely cleared the top of the trees. If he had to guess, using the wilderness survival training he was taught growing up, Dmytro would have said it was around 10:30 in the morning. To Dmytro, Baton Rouge was always the most beautiful in the late morning, just before people were officially up and about. It was when the early risers were the nicest and 1st shifters were the quietest.

Pressing for his stop, Dmytro stood up from his corner seat and held on for dear life as the CAT came to a jerky stop. Hopping off, he caught the smell of a sickeningly sweet scent right before a pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who!" a familiar voice whispered in his ear, ruffling his curly hair. He suppressed a groan the way Betas suppressed any unrest with Alphas: forcefully.

Carefully removing her hands from his face, he turned to face her---the Omega that wouldn't leave him alone---with a polite smile. Brooke Curry beamed at him just as nicely as her scent smelled. A small chill went down his spine. "How did you know where I was going, Brooke? I don't remember letting anyone know where I was going on Twitter."

Brooke held up her phone and cheerily waved it in his face, the bell charm on her phone giving a happy jingle. "You left your location on, so I followed it here. The only reason I beat you is because there's only one smoothie shop in this area. See? I know you so well, we _have_ to be true mates."

"We had this conversation already Brooke. We can't be true mates. My aura is Pink Madder and your aura is Mustard Yellow with Rustic Red spots, but your scent is too sweet to be pleasant to me. I'm sorry," Dmytro reminded her gently, trying not to step on her feelings any more than he had previously. The whites of her eyes flashed lava red, and Dmytro instinctively took a step back, dropping his head in submission. It was said that Alphas had the most power and strength compared to Betas and Omegas, but Dmytro knew it only as a fairy-tale; he learned the hard way that fairy-tales weren't meant to be taken seriously.

"Do you think any other Omega or Beta will want an Alpha that doesn't have any experience with relationships? Do you think they'll be happy you waited for your 'true mate' without learning how to please them when it's time for you to mark each other? Your 'true mate' would be ecstatic to know that you can please them in bed. We don't have to mark each other, Dmytro. Just let me teach how to please your mate when you choose one. That's okay, right?" Brooke's dark pink eyes darkened even more as she ominously stared at Dmytro. His heart rate picked up, and he knew he had to do something quickly before she lost her temper with him again.

"If I haven't found my true mate by the end of this year, I'll mate with you. We can mark each other. Is that acceptable? It'll give me time to realise that you're my true mate and cope with the fact that I was denying my happiness for so long. And in the end, you still get me. Okay?" he asked. Brooke stared him down, a calculating squint adorning her pale face, before she smiled brightly and nodded.

"Don't worry, Dmytro! You won't even need a year to figure that out! But I'll give it to you anyways," she agreed. Skipping down the sidewalk in the opposite direction Dmytro wanted to go, Brooke left him to his own devices.

Sagging in relief and releasing the tension from his shoulders, Dmytro counted his blessings. It was only January 4th. He had an _actual_ year to find his true mate, _certain_ it wasn't Brooke, and it didn't matter if his mate was a male or female.

**~~~~~**

Walking into the only smoothie shop in Uptown Baton Rouge, Dmytro was greeted with the sight of several Betas and Omegas waiting in line. One of the cashiers, a Beta, took one look at him before giving a tight smile.

"We don't serve Alphas here. It's the boss's rules," she said. He nodded---practically bowing with the intensity of his nods---with embarrassment. The other cashier, an Omega, ignored him and continued helping customers.

"I'm sorry," Dmytro apologised. "I was just checking out smoothie places to relax in. We Got Smoothies seemed good enough."

"I understand. The reason those rules were put into place was because there are hardly any Alphas in this part of town that aren't mated to a Beta or Omega, and the first unmated Alphas that came in here were beasts. So the boss banned Alphas. I'm going to have to ask you to leave before I'm forced to call security. It's the rules. You understand, right? It's just policy," she assured, her voice borderline threatening.

Dmytro nodded again and left, spouting out his own assurances that it was fine. Sighing for the 5th time that morning, Dmytro began his trek back to the bus stop. He'd have to wait an hour for the next bus to come by, but he didn't mind since the January chill was doing wonders to cool him down. He just hoped Brooke wouldn't pop back up and force her company on him. He didn't think he could handle her personality so soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Dmytro Ivanenko, and I think he's half-Ukrainian. I can't really remember what ethnicity I got his name from on the Name Generator app. I'll be switching between his and Phạm's POV's each chapter. That means next chapter will be Phạm and then after that it'll be Dmytro.
> 
>  
> 
> This is the site I used to decide on the aura colours for them:
> 
> http://www.mysticfamiliar.com/library/l_auras_colour_meanings.htm


	3. Phạm Trà's Got A Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After calming down, Phạm Trà searches for a job that's more considerate of her anxieties. She accidentally "befriends" Brooke Curry as she applies for a job at the closest shop.
> 
> Warnings: minor sexual harassment at the bus stop. It ends pretty quickly though.

Phạm Trà woke up shivering on her bathroom floor, the tile as icy as her toes. Her sides were sore from the amount of throwing up she had done, and she struggled to her feet with screaming joints. The cold was hard on her body since she was young due to her sickly nature growing up. By the time she'd reached middle school, her immune system and overall health had gotten better, but the one thing that remained constant was the cold's iron grip around her bones. Phạm Trà couldn't stay up north once she'd graduated from high school. Her mother had been devastated but ultimately agreed that her decision was a healthy choice.

Shuffling to her room, she collapsed to her bed with a groan before once more getting to her feet. Pulling a fresh pair of clothes from her closet---a pink shirt that matched with the purple highlights in her hair and a pair of black pants---Phạm Trà returned to her bathroom for a shower, pulling her underwear out of the drawer next to the towel rack. Stripping took longer than it normally did since her joints didn't want to listen; they were too cold to move fast enough. Whimpering slightly as she struggled out of her dirty clothes, Phạm Trà sent a prayer to the universe for her true mate to be somewhere in the city and _not_ on the other side of the planet.

Finally leaving the bathroom with a freshly cleaned mouth and body, Phạm Trà tossed her clothes into the laundry room and grabbed some spare cash. Stuffing her feet in her shoes and snatching a water bottle from the hall table by the front door, she left in a flurry of brown and purple hair, only pausing to hear her door click closed. Her stomach was tied in knots as she raced down to the bus stop at the front of her apartment complex, telling her to just skip looking for a job right away and relax instead. She ignored it as best as she could, trying not to listen as it told her that being fired was the perfect opportunity to make friends with people in the complex. _I can do that later,_ she told her stomach.

The few people at the bus stop were male Betas with incompatible auras. Phạm Trà still relaxed at the sight of them, remembering her Beta father and his incompatible personality. Her mother, an Alpha, said it was compatible with hers, so Phạm Trà figured the incompatibility must be because they were related yet from different families. One Beta with purple eyes gave her a once-over and an extraordinarily leery grin. Her guard immediately raised once more.

"Hey, sweetie. Those clothes look too tight on you. Do you need me to take them off for you so you can breathe? Although when I'm through with you, breathing won't be your issue," the man hinted suggestively, waggling his eyebrows. The other Betas stayed silent. While they didn't laugh or smile to encourage him, they didn't try to stop him; they had unreadable expressions and downcast eyes. _It's not their problem._

"No th-ank you," she began quietly, the man's snicker making her fear level rise.

"Are you sure, sweet cheeks? Because I'm sure I can give you a helluva time at my apartment. It's just up the street. Care to join me? I bet I can even get you out of those clothes," he insisted perversely, lava red lines snaking through the whites of his eyes.

Mustering up all the courage she could in her anxiety-riddled body, Phạm Trà raised her eyes in a glare to meet his purple ones. "My true mate will be the one to get me out of my clothes. Not you." She watched as his eyes lost their lava red tinge and dropped back to the ground. The Omega in her sat up proudly and cooed with pride even as Phạm Trà almost collapsed the ground in trembles. _I can't believe I didn't stutter when I said that! And then he just looked down?! I guess it pays to be an Omega with brown eyes._

**~~~~~**

The bus ride to Midtown Baton Rouge was longer than Phạm Trà was expecting. She knew that going to Midtown wouldn't take 5 minutes, but she had _hoped_ it wouldn't take longer than 2 hours. As the CAT came to its familiar jerking stop and opened its door at the front, two males got on. One male had bright grey eyes and skin that looked more than sun-kissed; he was an Alpha, Phạm Trà could admit he was gorgeous. She couldn't see an aura around him, and she knew he had to be compatible. The second male was an Omega with dark green eyes and a neon yellow aura: not worth her time. Though she wanted to get up and introduce herself to the handsome Alpha, she---and her Omega was more than to follow her lead---couldn't bring herself to move.

Another 30 minutes went by before Phạm Trà's stop came up, and she pressed the button for it. Standing shakily, her stomach in knots again, she moved as steadily as she could to the front of the bus, standing behind the yellow line. When it halted, she stumbled backwards a little, much to her embarrassment. A searing hand pressed against her lower back and steadied her. She looked back, saw that it was the _godly_ Alpha, and bowed her head in thanks before rushing off the bus.

A Smoothie For You was in her vision a few minutes later. Entering, she shuffled to the counter next to the cashiers, making it known to the customers that she wasn't there to pay. A Beta without an aura came to her with a cheery smile on her face.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her orange eyes bright with authentic happiness. They were mates, but Phạm Trà wasn't sure they were _true_ mates because she couldn't smell anything through her stuffy nose. The cashier's smile dropped a little as she gave Phạm Trà a delicate sniff.

"Are you hiring? I'm lo-oking for a job that is fine with m-y social anxiety," she explained. The cashier simply shook her head with a disappointed smile. "That's f-ine. Thank you f-or helping me." Phạm Trà rushed out of the shop in such a hurry, she hit someone with the door.

"What the _fu_ uuuudge?!" the person dragged out the "u" of the F-bomb as they changed it to a more suitable word as a child passed by.

"I'm sor-ry. I didn't see you there!" Phạm Trà apologised quickly, bowing deeply. The person stood up, and she saw that it was the Beta with the purple eyes and Rustic Red aura from the bus stop earlier.

"You! The foxy Omega with creepy eyes! You must like me if you're hitting on me," he snarled. The whites of his eyes had lava red veins lining through them again. He made a grab for her arm, and she jerked it away before he could touch her skin. Phạm Trà's Omega rose up and growled in rage, a growl that Phạm Trà mimicked. She sprinted down the street in the direction of her apartment complex in Downtown Baton Rouge, knowing it would take at least an hour to get close to it.

By the time she stopped running, her body was on fire and she was halfway between Midtown and Downtown. Taking time to catch her breath, she looked at her surroundings. A bus stop was not too far ahead of her, and several thrift shops were lining her side of the street. Limping towards the bus stop, people getting out of her way with sympathetic smiles, she gratefully collapsed onto the bench. Luckily, the bus pulled up a second later, and she got on the CAT with trembling legs. Leaning her head against the window, she allowed herself to relax.

Phạm Trà rode the CAT to her apartment complex and clumsily stumbled to Magic Shop, a smoothie shop only a block away. It was worn around the edges and had graffiti spray-painted on the side. Word on the street said that all the unmated Alphas came to the shop after it closed to get smoothies, that it was the only smoothie shop that even allowed Alphas inside. Entering the less than inviting shop, Phạm Trà found out the word on the street was true. There were more Alphas than she'd ever seen in her 18 years of life up north and 1.5 years of life down south in Magic Shop, and they all stared at her warily. All seemed to be unmated and most had auras around them. The few that didn't were chatting each other up. It was obvious the three women were newly-found true mates by the way they crowded next to each other in line and the way they would lean in every so often to take a large sniff of each other.

Phạm Trà walked up to the counter, trying her best to show that she wasn't a paying customer, and patiently waited for a cashier or free employee to help her.

"Can I help you?" an Omega asked. Her aura was Mustard Yellow with Rustic Red spots, and her eyes were dark pink. Her pale skin was flushed under the fluorescent lighting. Her smile was as inviting as the outside of Magic Shop. 

"Y-es. I was lo-oking for a job that is f-ine with my social anxiety," she explained. When the other Omega didn't say anything, Phạm Trà continued. "I live down the b-lock and can be h-ere on time. I'm a quick lea-rner, but I'm b-ad with sp-eaking."

The pink-eyed Omega tilted her head with a small squint before nodding. "Sure! Welcome aboard! We need more employees here, and you're the only one that's even come in _for_ the job. And as the manager, I agreed to immediately hire anyone that came in asking for the job. I'll show you around now, but you'll come in tomorrow morning at 10." The sudden shift in the Omega's demeanor took Phạm Trà off guard, and she could only nod in response.

Following the Omega's directions to get around the counter, Phạm Trà met the manager at the edge of the machines. She watched as the Beta cashier from the front ran back and forth from the machines to the customers in an attempt to get orders done on time, though none of the customers looked like they had anything against him. Phạm Trà could see why the manager was hiring anyone who asked on the spot.

"As you can see, it's just me and Matt. Don't tell him I said this, but I think working with another Omega will be more productive than working with some know-it-all Beta," she complained to Phạm. "I'm Brooke by the way. Brooke Curry. I think we're going to be great friends. Don't you?" Brooke's eyes grew a little wider to convey innocence, but Phạm Trà felt herself grow wary.

"Y-es. I h-ope so," she agreed hesitantly, nodding. A proud smile graced Brooke's lips, and it was gone as quickly as it came. With a nod, Brooke led Phạm Trà to the back.

"Now, I know you can't speak well, but we have to train you as a cashier just in case, okay? But don't worry, I'll try not to let you leave the back," Brooke assured.

Phạm Trà bowed slightly and smiled. "Th-ank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Brooke Curry is the female antagonist. In case you were wondering. I'm pretty sure writing tips say to let the reader figure it out, but it's the first time I'm writing a romance story. I don't know if things are popping out the way they should be. And I know I'm writing Phạm Trà's full name a lot, but it just sounds better than just Phạm. My brain doesn't like it. The next chapter will be Dmytro. Their names will be in the title of each chapter so you know who's POV it is.


	4. Dmytro Needs Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dmytro found his true mate by complete luck, but not only does he need to find her again, he also needs to find a way to talk to her. He meets one of his Alpha friends at his apartment to get some game.
> 
> Warnings: minor swearing

He found her! His true mate! Her aura was a solid grey, and her eyes were dark brown. Dmytro couldn't believe his luck when she walked passed him to get off the bus and he caught a whiff of coconut and chocolate; it was the irresistible scent he was looking for. When she'd stumbled backwards, his immediate reaction was to catch her; she'd felt cold underneath his hands. He could _feel_ the nervous energy coming off her in anxious waves when she turned around to thank him with a bow. He'd barely had time to say anything when the Omega rushed off the bus. He decided to skip looking for another smoothie shop in Uptown Baton Rouge and ride until Downtown came into view where he hopped off a block away from Alpha Apartments to see his friend.

"Douglas! Get your blue-eyed self out here!" Dmytro shouted as he slammed into his friend's apartment. Screams of rage greeted him.

"Why would you do that?! We were supposed to be partners! I trusted you! Why did you kill me?!" Douglas was screaming. Dmytro followed the enraged yelling to his friend's bedroom and saw Douglas with a headset on and a game on the flat screen. Laughing at his friend, Dmytro crossed his arms.

"Dude! Get off your game and help me with mine," Dmytro complained. Douglas immediately turned off his game when he heard Dmytro say he needed help with his game. Douglas had an excited smirk on his face and a question in his eyes. Dmytro nodded and rolled his eyes. "Earlier this morning."

"How did you find them? Is it a dude? I bet it's a dude since you're always talking about the muscles on the guys in the complex," Douglas rambled excitedly.

Dmytro laughed again at his friend and shook his head. "It's a girl. She's really pretty. And super cold. And she smelled so amazing. She has dark brown eyes. So she's an Omega. And she smelled amazing. And she looks nervous. Dude. I need to find a way to charm her to be mine."

Douglas left and came back a minute later with a water bottle in hand, a thoughtful look on his face. "If you had just told Brooke to fuck off when she said you were her only compatible mate, you would have had more time to think of this kind of stuff yourself. Even _I_ have at least two compatible mates: the gorgeous bodybuilder Alpha on the first floor with her two dogs and the confident Beta at the chicken restaurant with his manager title. You should use your heat."

"My heat? What are you talking about? Wait! What if she doesn't think I'm her true mate? What if I'm the only one smelling the irresistible scent and she just smells something okay? She didn't look at me like I was her true mate. What if this is all one-sided?!" Dmytro exclaimed, worrying his lip with his teeth. He ignored his friend's rant about Brooke even though what he'd said had been true.

"Didn't you say she was super cold?" Douglas asked. When Dmytro nodded, he continued. "Then she's probably sick. Or at the very least can't breathe. I know that when _I'm_ freezing, my nose gets stopped up real bad. So if she's cold, and it _is_ January, then she either didn't have time to grab a jacket or forgot to. Or she assumed she'd be moving too much to need one. We may in Louisiana, but it's cold as shit out there, man. You may be a furnace, but she's probably a normal person. So use that to your advantage. Tell her something about it being cold or she looks cold or something. And then say you're warm and that she can touch you as proof or something." Douglas stroked his ginger beard as he thought and took a large gulp of water.

"So-so you think she's actually my true mate but she just can't smell it?" Dmytro clarified hopefully. When Douglas nodded, he let out an excited shout and flopped onto his friend's bed with a small bounce. "But how do I get her to talk to me? How do I find her? Now that I think about it, she didn't seem like she was worried about the cold. When I saw her step off the bus, she looked almost used to not being able to feel her toes." Douglas held up a hand to stop Dmytro's rambling.

"If she looked like that, then say something about that too. Say-say this: 'I couldn't help but notice you seemed used to be freezing when you stepped off the bus the first day we met. If you want, I could sleep in your bed to keep you warm. I can show you what it's like to be able to feel your toes again.' And then give her a nice smile like this," Dmytro watched as his friend showed him a smile that screamed seductive but respectful, "and then wait to see her response." Dmytro gave Douglas a hard stare. The Alpha had game, Dmytro could admit that much. But one question still bothered him.

"How will I find her, dude? It was luck that I met her on the bus!" Dmytro complained. His worry was coming back to him.

"Shut the fuck up. I'll help you. Stop whining," Douglas laughed. Dmytro was used to his mannerisms and thought nothing of the crude language. It was actually tame today compared any other day. Something good must have happened to Dmytro's friend. "She must have a job somewhere near to where she got off. You said she looked nervous, so she might have some sort of anxiety disorder. That means she'll want to work somewhere that she doesn't have to deal with people if it's avoidable. So look at food places or drink places. Somewhere where you can make stuff away from customers. So that means normal shops are out. They make you talk to customers. Keep going on your smoothie shop hunt. You may run into her at one of them. She has to eat somewhere."

Dmytro rolled his eyes and face-palmed. _Why didn't I think of that?!_ "Dude. Your Seer abilities rock. I owe you one. Can we still go over more game ideas? Like, what if I meet Brooke and her at the same time? _know_ Brooke will freak out if she realises I've found my true mate so fast. And because it's Brooke we're talking about, she might actually try to make sure me and my true mate never get together." Douglas waved off Dmytro's praise but nodded anyway.

"It's just guessing. I'm not a Seer," Douglas denied. "But you'll want to be careful around Brooke. Maybe kind of ask Brooke to make something for you before flirting with your true mate. That way Brooke is out of the way while you make your move. As long as you can get your true mate by herself, you'll have a better chance. And if Brooke _won't_ leave, make it obvious to your true mate that you're not into Brooke. If Brooke gets mad, don't look away from your Omega as you apologise. She'll get the message."

"It's really good guessing, so you _have_ to be a Seer. Thanks for the help, dude," Dmytro expressed, knowing Douglas was busy trying to break gaming records. "I'll definitely keep these in mind. Now tell me more." Douglas laughed and kept going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to practice writing Phạm by itself now. It's going to be so hard though because I'm used to writing it fully. I know this is short, but I didn't want to make a 5 page chapter full of Dmytro learning how to flirt.


	5. Phạm Trà Needs Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phạm Trà has been working at Magic Shop for a month and has yet to feel comfortable talking to the customers. Brooke is getting a little irritated that she's "acting like an Alpha" and Dmytro finally comes in.

It had been a month since Phạm had started working at Magic Shop. And while Brooke had promised she wouldn't be a cashier for more than a week, Phạm hadn't been allowed to work in the back at all. She continued to stutter around customers and apologised left and right. The people she learned were regulars didn't get mad at her whenever she messed up or took longer to take their order. The new customers, younger Alphas and a handful of Omegas, would get snippy with her, but the regulars would quickly put them in their places. Phạm didn't miss the way they took special care to be nicer the next time they came in, if they came back at all.

"Can I have a migraine smoothie? My mate's mother is in town, and I didn't realise she'd be incompatible," a dark red-eyed Omega said. It was a regular who went by the name Nathan. Brooke had called out Natalia one time, and she'd been scolded by Nathan to the point of tears. Phạm would have felt bad for anyone being scolded for what seemed to be an innocent mistake, but her gut told her that Brooke had called out Natalia on purpose.

"Are you allergic to anything?" Phạm Trà asked smoothly. They both looked at each other in surprise. A smile broke out onto Nathan's cherubic face, his tan skin shining brightly.

"Did you just ask me that without stuttering?!" he asked excitedly. Phạm nodded vigorously in response, not daring herself to speak for fear of messing up again. Nathan danced around in a small circle, the bell above the door rung, and he came right back to the counter. "I'm so excited! I'm the first one you've managed to talk to without stuttering! I've got bragging rights now! But no. I'm not allergic to anything."

Phạm just nodded at him and watched him sit down after paying, putting in his order. "N-ext person in l-ine!" The Alpha she saw last month stepped up to take Nathan's place. Phạm stared in shock.

He looked more muscular than when she'd first seen him. His face looked pinched, like he hadn't been getting any sleep and couldn't afford to. His bright grey eyes were empty, and his dark skin lacked luster. _He must not have found what he was looking for._

His eyes met hers, but it took him a minute before Phạm registered to his brain. "It's you! The Omega from the bus!"

"Can I t-ake your or-der?" Phạm asked, unable to meet his eyes. They were glowing more than what Nature intended; him being an Alpha made his eyes bright already, but they were brighter than she'd ever seen any Alpha's eyes. 

"Hmm? Oh. Yes. Uh, I'd like--"

Brooke invaded Phạm's space right after calling out Nathan's order. "Dmytro! Were you waiting too long? I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Dmytro shook his head and turned his focus back to Phạm, who had politely moved out of Brooke's way so as not to anger the Omega again. "I'd like a Mango Tango, but can you add the energy stuff too? I just got out of training, and I'm exhausted." Phạm Trà was slowly feeling at ease with the Alpha---Dmytro---before her. He was polite and to the point, but she could tell he wanted to say more than what was professional.

"Anything else, Dmytro? Little miss Phạm Trà can't take your order right now. She acts like an Alpha if you know what I mean," Brooke stage whispered to Dmytro. Phạm looked down in embarrassment, blushing furiously. She missed the way Dmytro's eyes flashed dangerously dark, dangerously red.

"I don't know what you mean Brooke. But if she's the cashier right now, let her do her job. Even if Ms. Phạm is slow, I'd rather it be her than you," Dmytro said. Phạm looked up in shock, seeing the white of Brooke's eyes stain lava red. Dmytro lowered his head submissively, but Phạm noticed he never once lowered his eyes, training them on her dark brown ones. "We've talked about it before, Brooke. You never listen."

Phạm Trà stared between the two of them like watching a tennis match, her discomfort apparent with her posture. The tension between the two people was growing, and she wanted escape while she still could. She could claim her stomach was hurting, which it was, and escape to the bathroom. She could let the two incompatible adults---friends? lovers?---work out whatever issues they had going on with each other. Phạm started inching away when Brooke finally relented.

"Fine," she conceded, "take her. But just so you know, she'll always get your order wrong. And we'll talk about this more after I get off work." Her threat lingered in the air as she retreated back into the machines. Phạm hesitantly returned to her place at the cash register, and stared at Dmytro expectantly. Brooke had already put in his order before she went back to the machines, and all Phạm had to do was take his money. Dmytro jumped into action and handed her the 10 dollars she needed.

"Hey," he began suddenly, holding onto his Hamilton to keep her close. "I noticed you felt icy cold on the bus. If you want, I could show you the pleasure of being warm. All you have to do is invite me to your house and I'll nap in your bed." 

Her Omega preened, but Phạm Trà was filled with disgust. The man from the bus flashed through her mind. She yanked the bill out of his hand. "You may find it endearing, but harassment against employees can be a punishable offence. I don't think Brooke was right in making it seem like Alphas were stuttering fools with social anxiety, but I will _not_ stand for harassment while I'm working. If you want to try flirting with me again, I'd suggest waiting until I'm not on the clock." _How am I not stuttering?! I feel so powerful. Like nothing can hurt me again. Maybe being mad isn't such a bad thing._

Dmytro lowered his head again, his eyes following it. He showed a true submissive stance, and Phạm could feel the guilt eating at her. Her intention wasn't to make him submit to her, it was to make him learn his lesson. "I'm sorry. My intention wasn't to upset you. I feel honored that you didn't stutter as you scolded me, yet I've properly learned my lesson. I will not flirt with you during working hours. You will not have to worry from now on."

"I d-idn't w-ant--" Dmytro politely held up a finger.

"You don't have to explain yourself. I was in the wrong. You politely told me that I shouldn't have done that. The only thing you should ever feel around me is comfortable. Besides, you'd know if I'm submitting to you," he joked, winking. Against her will, Phạm blushed and shooed him away. He gave a bark of laughter, causing her to smile shyly, and moved to stand by the counter and take his smoothie.

Phạm didn't want to admit it, but her breath stuttered like her words when he mentioned _truly_ submitting to her. Erotic images played in her head, images she'd seen in the educational videos at school and romantic movies that played late at night on TV. _Would it be like that?_ she wondered. _Would he show his neck and let me be in charge? He doesn't seem like the type. He seems like he'll take charge and make me show my neck so he can get a taste of the power he's probably never had as an Alpha. Focus on work. You have an hour left._

Glancing up to find Dmytro, Phạm spotted him chatting amicably with Nathan. Dmytro glanced over Nathan's elegant shoulders, caught her eye, and gave a friendly smile. His bright grey eyes shined like a star in the night sky, his dark skin softening the harshness of the light eye colour. Phạm Trà blushed again and returned her attention to the register, distracting herself by playing around with the options. She hoped he would be back the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This feels a little rushed, but I also don't want this chapter to go on forever. I'm doing my best! What do you think? Feedback is appreciated.


	6. Dmytro Found Her!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dmytro found his true mate. After a month of searching and being thrown out of anti-Alpha places, she was in the only Alpha-friendly smoothie shop in the city. Unfortunately, Brooke works there too, and now he has to deal with aftermath of his "outburst" while he's getting to know his mate better.

Dmytro walked into Magic Shop with resignation in his heart. All the places he went to, except the most run-down and scariest places in high crime areas, kicked him out the moment they saw his eyes. He didn't think he'd be in the smoothie shop long, it was nicer than most of the shops he visited in areas outside the Beta and Omega circles; he was sure it was Omega-run and anti-Alpha. Alphas weren't able to own businesses, and if they had one, it was shut down quickly due to high tax prices. If this was run by Omegas, he wouldn't be in here long.

Seeing all the Alphas hanging out at the tables and laughing, Dmytro was pleasantly surprised to find this was a Alpha-friendly joint. It didn't change his feelings of resignation though. He was tired from training, and he wasn't going to get his hopes up only to have them drowned in the coolant that ran through the cars Betas could afford. He watched Nathan, an Omega he'd met a few times at the eye doctor, dance a jig at the counter before he finished his order and hopped away to wait. He walked up to the register when the cashier called him up, too lost in his thoughts to see anything. When he actually looked up and saw the dark brown eyes of the Omega cashier, his heart stopped and life re-entered his veins.

It was her! He never thought he'd see her again! It had been a month since he'd met her and started searching for her. There was no scent trail to follow or clues to decipher. For all intents and purposes, she was a ghost he was determined to catch. But he hadn't given up. Not truly; he had to prove to Brooke they weren't meant to be after all. He took a less aggressive route and focused more on finding places Alphas were allowed in. Because Dmytro could somehow tell she wasn't prejudiced against Alphas, just nervous around everyone, he decided to stay polite. He didn't want to scare her.

She stammered through the generic question all cashiers had to say. Before he had a chance to say his order, Brooke came in and invaded his mate's space. She stepped to the side politely, almost folding in on herself submissively; it was clear Brooke had taken her anger out on his mate before and she was trying not to anger her again. "Dmytro! Were you waiting too long? Sorry to keep you waiting." Dmytro didn't like the way she took over the cash register like she owned the place.

Dmytro shook his head and angled his body to aim at his true mate, refocusing on her. "I'd like a Mango Tango, but can you add the energy stuff too? I just got out of training, and I'm exhausted." He yearned to say more, but he refused to speak in front of Brooke. He didn't want her to twist anything he said to her advantage or attack his true mate if she went AWOL.

"Anything else, Dmytro? Little miss Phạm Trà can't take your order right now. She acts like an Alpha if you know what I mean," Brooke whispered loudly, making a show of averting her gaze from his true mate---Phạm Trà. Ms. Phạm blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment, sparking a rage in Dmytro. _How dare she talk about my mate like that?! How dare she embarrass her own co-worker in front of a customer?! How dare she insinuate that she couldn't do her job because she "acted" like an oppressed species?! How dare she?!_

"I don't know what you mean Brooke. But if she's the cashier right now, let her do her job. Even if Ms. Phạm is slow, I'd rather it be her than you," he said, noticing Ms. Phạm's head pop up again. Brooke's eyes stained red, and Dmytro lowered his head submissively. He trained his eyes on Ms. Phạm however, taking Douglas's advice to show her he had no interest in Brooke, that Brooke was only overstepping her boundaries. "We've talked about it before, Brooke. You never listen." Dmytro hoped his statement would get through to his true mate and let her know he wasn't into Brooke.

With the way her eyes kept jumping back and forth between him and Brooke and the way she was inching away, Dmytro could tell the only thing that got through to Ms. Phạm was that he and Brooke weren't compatible. He still refused to look at Brooke, only giving her enough submission to put her rage at bay. He was silently begging Ms. Phạm to assert her own dominance, silently begging her to pick up his scent, silently begging her to stay. He couldn't stand up to Brooke by himself. The only reason Dmytro was as defiant as he was at the moment was because his true mate was in front of him. If she hadn't been there, Dmytro would have let Brooke walk all over him just to keep her calm. It was hard to stand up to her, even if it wasn't very much.

"Fine," Brooke conceded, "take her. But just so you know, she'll always get your order wrong. And we'll talk about this more after I get off from work." _Like hell we will!_ Her threat hung in the air as she retreated back to the smoothie machines.

**~~~~~**

Dmytro patiently waited for Ms. Phạm to end her shift, chatting with Nathan for about half an hour before he had to leave. His mate Julio was waiting for him at their apartment. About an hour after Nathan left, he spotted Ms. Phạm coming out from behind the counter wearing regular clothes, a male Beta taking her place. Dmytro dumped his second empty smoothie cup into the recycle bin by the door and sauntered up to his true mate. She spotted him coming and waited for him in front of the cash register, a small smile gracing her face. Dmytro felt his heart beat out of his chest at the sight of her mouth twitching upwards, even more so when he realised it was directed at him.

"Hi," he greeted her, shyly waving. Dmytro suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe, as if the very sight of her stole his breath away. She was even more beautiful up close; he could see a small beauty mark underneath her right eye, her grey aura adding to the sophistication the mark gave her. A large port-wine stain birthmark on her elbow drew Dmytro's attention to her right arm; it was dark red but didn't stand out too much against her tan skin. He wanted to trace it, make sure it didn't hurt, and then kiss it to oblivion. When she put her hand on it, covering it up, Dmytro looked back into her eyes.

"H-ello," she responded, stuttering again. He gave her his arm, but she didn't take it. A little hurt at the rejection, which he tried not to show, he lowered his arm and instead made a sweeping motion with his arm, pointing to the door.

"Shall we?" He gave her a goofy smile, one corner of his mouth pulling up slightly more than the other side. Ms. Phạm giggled before nodding.

"W-e sh-all." They left the smoothie shop quickly, both shyly eyeing one-another. Dmytro glanced over his shoulder as he held open the door for his true mate and spotted Brooke too busy with the machines to notice him leaving with Ms. Phạm. He hoped he hadn't spotted them a few minutes earlier, and he hoped she wouldn't spot them now. The door closed behind him, and he rushed to catch up with his mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck at summaries. Don't expect them to get any better. XD So what do you think of this chapter? Good? Bad? Needs work? I'm open for constructive criticism!


	7. Phạm Trà On A Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phạm Trà takes a walk with Dmytro in downtown Baton Rouge, and Brooke is less than pleased.

Phạm left Magic Shop with Dmytro hot on her heels. She hoped Brooke hadn't seen her leave with him; she wasn't keen on finding out what the hot-headed Omega had to say about their excursion. Phạm was trembling lightly with apprehension, unsure if she wanted to talk to Dmytro after work after all. _I could be walking into a trap. I could be forced to do things to him before being tossed aside for Brooke. I barely know the Alpha, so why am I even walking with him? I should just tell him to go home and pretend he doesn't exist._

As if sensing her anxious thoughts, Dmytro gave Phạm a bright smile. "You can trust me. I just want to get to know you away from Brooke's meddling. We're incompatible. Well, I'm assuming we are since I can't see her aura. But she says we're compatible because she can see mine. There are rumors that Omega's can see auras of their true mate. I'm not sure I believe her because her perfume smells way too sweet for me. It actually makes me want to sneeze. But you smell really good. Not-not that I've _smelled_ you on purpose or anything."

Phạm laughed at him, stopping his rambling. She felt herself relax a little, her anxiety calming just enough to stop her shivers. "Th-ose rumors aren't t-rue. I ca-n't see y-our aura, so we m-ust be com-patible. But I ca-n't sm-ell. So I d-on't kn-ow if we are t-rue m-ates." She gave a dramatic sniffle to prove her point: she couldn't smell a thing. While she'd managed to keep her cold at bay and didn't need to blow her nose often, Phạm was too stuffed to bring anything in. Whatever smells got through to her when she _did_ blow her nose were too jumbled for her to identify before her sinuses clogged once more. Her immune system had never been that great, so it was no surprise that she'd caught a cold _during_ the cold that hadn't left. Heat was the only thing that could help, which was one of the reasons why she'd moved to Baton Rouge.

"Oh! My friend was thinking that. I'd gone to him when I met you on the bus because I didn't know how to approach you. He's really good with stuff like this, so I got his advice. He said you might be too cold to smell anything since you're 'normal' compared to me. Can you believe he called me a walking heater? Anyways, he said to offer my heat to you and see where it goes from there. I don't really get out much, and I've been too busy trying to get by in life to date. The first time I wanted to at least date someone, he said he wasn't looking for a trophy husband. And then Brooke keeps scaring away everyone else, so I've never even been approached by anyone who _would_ want a trophy husband. So I don't have experience in relationships. Pretty pathetic, right?" Dmytro gave a small chuckle. Phạm was about to answer, to tell him it was okay because she didn't have any experience either, but Dmytro pushed forward. "Anyways, do you want to walk me to my friend's house? I may be training, but it's not safe for an Alpha like me to walk around alone at this time of night."

Phạm gave a shy nod, hoping to hear more about his life and not have to speak more than a few words. Unfortunately, Dmytro didn't seem to want to continue and let the silence build. Phạm wasn't able to stand it anymore and broke first. "I ha-ve no ex-peri-ence either. I'm too sh-y. I d-on't even ha-ve friends be-cause I'm al-ways stu-ttering. I'm al-ways at h-ome too be-cause of it."

"You have friends at Magic Shop," Dmytro laughed, smiling at her. "Sure, the customers may not feel like friends to you because you're doing your job, which I suspect is something I'll be seeing a lot of. Anyways, the _customers_ think you're their friend. You're always friendly to them and give them exactly what they ask for without jacking up the price or giving them tiny portions of added things. And if you don't do it, then someone who likes them does. How long have you been a cashier?"

"One m-onth," Phạm answered. She hurried to continue before Dmytro could say anything else. "But Bro-oke promised I'd b-e in the b-ack a week a-fter I sta-rted wor-king. I'm not g-ood with people."

Dmytro nodded in acknowledgement. "Neither is Brooke. You're better with people than she is. Because she's rude and always wants to get her way. If you're not the one adding in the extras with normal portions, then either she wants to make herself look good since she's no longer at the cash register, or she finally got over being selfish and is growing as a person. Knowing Brooke as long as I have, which is unfortunately two years or more, I'm going with the first option. There's no _way_ she's actually trying to improve as a person. I don't think she's capable."

They fell into a nice silence. Their surroundings grew more familiar as Phạm and Dmytro neared Phạm's apartment complex. Her heart pounded in fear, more than it already was despite how trustworthy and respectful Dmytro seemed. _Does he live here too? Maybe the friend he was talking about lives behind the complex. I heard there were some fancy houses more outskirts of town. He might live in one of those. But if Dmytro's friend is an Alpha too, then there's no_ way _he can afford it, let alone be allowed to buy it. What kind of friend does he have?_

"My friend Douglas lives in the complex. Sometimes I spend the night with him when I'm too tired to leave his house. It's actually kind of safer because he has real locks. And I'm pretty sure he's a Seer, so he might already be waiting for me. Anyways, thanks for walking me. No one even came near us!" Dmytro exclaimed. Phạm snickered and looked away. His excitement at not being harassed was funny and sad at the same time. The purple-eyed Beta flashed through her mind. She was excited she hadn't seen him either. "Well, here we are. Again, thanks for walking me. I'll see you at Magic Shop."

Looking up, she noticed with dismay that Dmytro's friend Douglas lived two floors under her apartment. "I l-ive on the th-ird floor. I'll s-ee you later." With that, she fled to the stairs on the opposite side of the building. She took them two at a time until she got halfway up to the third floor, stopping to catch her breath and keep her legs from going to complete jelly. She was surprised that Dmytro would visit so close to her and still not see her. She was even more surprised that his _friend_ stayed in the complex. She'd figured that any friend of Dmytro's had to be at least somewhat wealthy seeing as how he could afford to train.

Phạm shook her head and pushed her way up the rest of the steps, pulling her keys from her pocket to unlock her door. Stumbling inside, she managed to crawl to her bedroom where she took off her shoes. She was breathing heavy, and her legs didn't want to cooperate with her. She dragged herself onto her bed and laid haphazardly on it, too mentally drained to move to a more comfortable position. Sleep was heavy on her eyes and _How could I have known?_ was the last thought that passed through her head before she let it claim her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to post the chapter. My grandmother finally died, and I'm only just now getting into the swing of my routine again. It's been about 2 weeks since I came back home. During that time, I've been procrastinating and letting my body return to its natural state of ease. It's been hard with a few potential relapses regarding my PTSD, but I've managed to bring back at least a few parts of my routine.


	8. Dmytro Thought It Was a Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after Dmytro has Phạm Trà walk him home, he shows up at Magic Shop again. Thus begins a new routine for them both. Unfortunately for Phạm Trà, she isn't allowed days off because there's not enough staff and doesn't have time to prepare or analyze her feelings.

Dmytro showed up at Magic Shop the next day, ready to ask Ms. Phạm about her exit last night. Had she changed her mind about getting to know him? Or was she worried he wasn't as trustworthy as he truly was? Whatever reason she had for running away after dropping him off, he was going to find out. Unfortunately, he was there too early for Ms. Phạm's shift to begin, so he sat in a corner booth that hid him from prying eyes while also allowing him to watch the door for people coming in and going out. He watched as Brooke came in and give the suddenly dejected Beta a hello. Brooke didn't see Dmytro as she came in, much to Dmytro's relief, and she went behind the counter to start up the rest of the machines. Loud whirring filled Magic Shop as the fruit blenders went through what he could only guess was a morning routine.

Dmytro refused to go up to the counter to order a smoothie until Ms. Phạm entered even though he desperately needed something to drink to keep his mind off the fear of a potential rejection. _Is that why Ms. Phạm ran away last night? Because she realised she wasn't in to me like that and didn't know how to say so? But her aura gained little pink spots last night. So something else must have happened. Did I miss something?_

A small gust of air crossed his face, and he snapped back to reality in time to see Douglas walk in. Douglas's eyes made contact with Dmytro's, but he pretended not to see him at the small shake of Dmytro's head. Douglas walked up to the counter and ordered a Raspberry Orange-tang. He waited at the counter for his cup for a good 10 minutes before smoothly sliding into the booth across from Dmytro, out of sight from onlookers. He sipped his smoothie before finally looking at Dmytro.

"So I see you found her. And have you tried any of the flirting tips I suggested?" he questioned. Dmytro nodded, blushing as he remembered how Ms. Phạm reacted when he tried. "And what happened? Did she agree to be your mate? Did Brooke see? Does Brooke even know?"

Glancing at the counter, Dmytro made sure Brooke couldn't hear him before leaning closer to Douglas. "She got mad at me but then I asked her to walk me to your place after work and she agreed. Brooke didn't like that I wasn't paying attention to her and was actually standing up for myself, so she tried to threaten me. I left with Ms. Phạm before Brooke could confront me. Then she said she lived in the same complex as you and ran away. I don't know what happened or why that made her scared. I thought we were having a good time." Dmytro frowned at the memory and looked away. He still didn't look at his friend when he continued. "I noticed her aura gained some tiny Pink Madder spots around her head like a halo. So I know that we're true mates."

"You know everyone gains their mate's aura, right?" Douglas asked. Dmytro looked back up in shock. He _hadn't_ known that. Douglas nodded. "Yeah. True mates or normal mates, it doesn't matter. Mates always gain a piece of each other's aura. Usually the one with the more negative aura has their aura almost completely change. Because it's the more negative one, a mate is supposed to improve their life, which means the aura will change a lot. The reason the more positive one doesn't change a lot is because while they're mated to a, we'll use your Omega, negative aura, they're only making the positive one, you, more realistic. So there's not much of a change."

"How do you _know_ all of this?!" Dmytro exclaimed quietly, his eyes wide with surprise. "It's like you're a god or something with all you know."

Douglas gave a quiet laugh, glancing around to make sure no one heard him. "Did I tell you what I used to do before we met?" Dmytro shook his head. "I went to college to get a degree in the study of mates. I thought it was such a cool subject. It was such a fun class too. But it wasn't very popular, so not a lot of people were in it. Ultimately, they shut the class down. Did you know we've only been friends for a year?"

Dmytro started in shock. "Really?! I feel like we've been friends forever." Dmytro was instantly on high alert as another gust of wind crossed his face. He relaxed once he saw that it was just another customer.

"Yeah. That's because we're platonic mates. If we decided to date, it wouldn't work out because our auras, even if we can see them, don't match enough to work out. Which is why we're friends," Douglas explained. Dmytro stared expectantly at his friend, waiting for more information. "That's all I know. They shut down the class when we were halfway through and made us sign a waiver that we couldn't share this information with anyone for at least 5 years. I refused to sign the waiver and paid the fine for 2 grand. It's not like I was saving it for a car or anything." Dmytro held back a laugh at his friend's sarcasm.

"Can we look this stuff up?" Dmytro asked instead. Douglas shook his head, taking a long pull from his drink. "They shut down anything that talked about it?" Dmytro got a nod.

"Phạm Trà! Nice to see you finally show up," Brooke exclaimed suddenly, her voice filled with malice. Dmytro jumped and stared at the door to watch the exchange between his true mate and the girl who thought she was.

Ms. Phạm looked at her phone in confusion, obviously checking the time. "B-ut you t-old me to co-me at th-is t-ime. I-'m on t-ime."

Brooke rolled her eyes and snarled, "I expect my employees to be 15 minutes early to help transition into the next shift. So, you're late. Don't be late again or you'll never get off cashier duty again."

Ms. Phạm bowed quickly and apologised before rushing off to join the Beta at the counter. He greeted her quietly and retreated to the machines in the back. Ms. Phạm sighed to herself and stood up straighter, putting on an air of readiness. But Dmytro could tell it was an act and that Brooke's sudden outburst had shaken her. There was a small tremble in her hand and a slight emptiness in her gaze. She looked almost like she was zoning out.

Seeing his chance to keep her from falling into dark thoughts, he could already see his pink aura fading away, Dmytro got up and proudly walked up to his true mate. "Ms. Phạm, hello. I'll take the Berry Goodness with an extra shot of energy. And, is it okay if I ask you what happened last night on your lunch break or when your shift ends? I'm worried I did something wrong." Dmytro watched the emptiness disappear and her hands steady. If he was being completely honest with himself, Dmytro was certain that he was the cause of her recovery, and he was very proud of himself.

"Wi-ll th-at be all?" Ms. Phạm asked him. He noticed she didn't answer his request to talk, but he was patient and nodded anyways. "F-ive d-ollars pl-ease. And, I w-ouldn't m-ind ta-lking on my l-unch br-eak." Dmytro beamed at her, noticing her blush, and handed her the money. Brooke was nowhere to be found, still, after she disappeared to the back and the Beta handed Dmytro his smoothie instead. Dmytro thanked his luck that he didn't have to interact with the hot-headed Omega.

**~~~~~**

Ms. Phạm slid into the booth next to Dmytro, awkwardly nodding a greeting to Douglas. "I'-m ready t-o ta-lk."

"Ms. Phạm, why did you run away once you dropped me off at Douglas's house? I was certain our date was going well. Did I say something wrong? I can make it up to you," Dmytro pleaded, getting straight to the point. He knew his mate had some form of anxiety and didn't want to stress her out even more by dragging the conversation to spend more time with her.

"D-ate?!" Ms. Phạm blanched. "I th-ought I was j-ust w-alking you h-ome!"

Dmytro blushed. "I must have overstepped my ideas then. I apologise for assuming it was a date without asking you first. It won't happen again." Dmytro was tempted to hold out his pinkie to swear it, but he figured she'd think he was childish and reject him. Much to his surprise, Ms. Phạm held out _her_ pinkie to him.

"S-wear it," she ordered. Dmytro didn't waste any time in doing just that. "Good. I r-an be-cause I l-ived just a-bove him. And I w-as con-fused as to w-hy you n-ever s-aw me. I w-as em-barrassed."

Dmytro sighed in relief at her confession, almost leaning against her. Douglas shot him a smug grin, silently letting Dmytro know that his theory was right and Dmytro's was wrong. "I suppose it's because I don't always go to his place. I mainly stay in the homeless shelter in Uptown Baton Rouge. I'm given a hundred dollars for spending money at the beginning of the month, and I have to make it last. I usually stay with Douglas when my money is low because of training and food. He let's me stay at his place for free and gets me the food I need. And since my training has progressed, I have to pay a little more each month as I become more advanced. So, basically, I probably don't get to cross your path except by that one chance encounter on the bus."

"W-hy d-on't you s-ave your m-oney and l-eave?" Ms. Phạm asked. Dmytro could tell she was genuinely confused and wasn't trying to be like the snotty Beta's he'd encountered before. 

"Because it's only one hundred dollars a month. And my training takes most of the money. Like, when I stay with Douglas, I manage to save twenty bucks for the total month. I eat more with him than I do at the homeless shelter for Alpha's," Dmytro explained. He tilted his head back and forth as he debated on whether or not he was going to tell his true mate exactly why he wasn't given much money to begin with. He settled on honesty and shifted so he could look her directly in the eyes. "It's because I'm an Alpha with no home, or even connections, that lets them get away with treating me, treating _us_ , " he gestured to Douglas, "like that. Douglas may have a place and an income that I never thought about until now, but he's still an Alpha. The world won't treat him with respect no matter how powerful he is. I have zero of anything. I basically gave the world an excuse to treat me like crap. A hundred dollars a month won't even pay for a week's worth of groceries. And yet they expect me to act and live like it will."

Ms. Phạm's mouth had dropped down in shock, and all Dmytro wanted to do was kiss her and erase the horror in her gaze. "W-hy?"

Dmytro didn't need her to clarify her question; he knew what she meant. "Because as an Alpha, all I am is a dirty criminal that will use the money to buy drugs. Whatever I can save goes to bets. At least, that's what I've been told. You see it all over the media. We're being killed because we just wanted our cheeseburger to actually have cheese and not just a dot at the end. We're being locked up for walking the streets at night and being 'confused' as a criminal they were looking for. We have to pay more for our things, as Alpha's, because we're the minority. There's not much of us, so there's not much resistance. Those who try to call out the injustice die or get locked up. I still haven't seen my Mom's wife since she first protested the mistreatment of Alpha's. As an Alpha, I'm nothing more than an irritating pet that they can just get rid of when they're through with us."

"I w-ant to h-elp," Ms. Phạm declared, her eyes fierce. Before Dmytro could ask what she meant, Brooke slammed her hands on the table and invaded Ms. Phạm's space to get to Dmytro.

"Phạm Trà, get back to work. I'm here to speak with Dmytro, my mate," she hissed. A "yeah, right" look passed over Ms. Phạm's tan face, but she left before Brooke could say anything else. Dmytro groaned inwardly and watched his _real_ mate go back to the cash register before facing Brooke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I finally posted this chapter. I was seriously procrastinating. Now, I can successfully say the chapter is complete. What do you think? Leave Kudos and subscribe to keep up with the updates. I don't have a schedule because my motivation wanes with the weather. But I'll be thinking of how to execute the next chapter now. And things will probably be heating up from here.


	9. Phạm Trà is Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phạm Trà eavesdrops on Dmytro's conversation with Brooke and realises that her boss is a bit crazy.

Phạm walked back to the register and away from the man she'd grown to like and his friend. She'd seen Brooke's rage and hatred coat her face like oil. She knew not to argue with Brooke when she was like that; she wanted to get off the register as soon as possible. The people were nice and didn't make fun of her stuttering, but she wanted to be in the back where she didn't have to talk very much at all. Phạm made sure there were no customers waiting to be helped before she focused her attention on Brooke's mouth; she was going to eavesdrop even if it was impolite.

"You're not here to flirt with my employees!" Brooke exclaimed, not bothering to lower her voice. _This is going to be easier than I thought._ "You're here for me and the smoothies. No one and nothing else!" Dmytro cast her a look that was tinted red, and Phạm knew he wasn't going to sit back again.

"We're not mates," he responded, his voice quiet but easily heard. Phạm knew he was making it easier for her to hear him, to hear _them._ "I'll never make that mistake in my life. I'll never mate with you. You don't own me. I'm an Alpha, an oppressed minority, but I'm still a person with feelings. I won't die for you. And I certainly won't live for you." A growl left Brooke's throat, causing everyone in the shop to freeze. Phạm felt like she was going to need her brown pants. 

Everyone was watching them now. She couldn't see what Douglas was doing, but she was sure he was as calm as usual. There was no way she could hide her eavesdropping, and with the growl Brooke just let out, there was no point. She drew everyone's attention to her no matter how much people didn't want to listen. She made sure they were watching her, and Phạm was almost certain Brooke was enjoying the audience. It was almost like she wanted witnesses to see how much she "loved" Dmytro and how she was trying to pull him out of denial.

"If you ever say that again, I'll make sure you never find your true mate. Besides, do you really think little miss Phạm Trà is your true mate? Ha! Look at her!" Brooke gestured to Phạm with a condescending sneer. _And this is one of the reasons why I have social anxiety. Thanks for reminding me._ "She acts like an Alpha and gives people what they want even if they don't deserve it. She stutters, can't say no, and isn't even in shape. There's no way your biology as an Alpha would make _that_ your true mate."

Phạm wanted to crawl under the sink and die. She'd been stressed out for a month because of her job, and she'd started to eat more. She'd put on more pounds than she'd expected and didn't have the time to exercise, so it had stayed on. It wasn't the first time she'd been heavier than most people, since being constantly sick as a kid had made if hard for her to exercise much, but it didn't hurt any less when people pointed it out. She'd been trying to stay in shape, and she'd been doing well when she moved down to Louisiana, but with Brooke never allowing her a day off, she had to eat what she can and stand up all day without moving. It was bound to get out of hand.

"DON'T YOU _DARE_ TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!" Dmytro roared, shoving Brooke out of the booth to stand over her. His eyes were glowing grey and swirling in a sea of red. For the first time since Phạm met Brooke, Brooke actually looked a little worried. "Do you honestly think she can stay in shape or even lose weight with the way you've been treating her?! I've talked to other customers! They told me you constantly harp on her and never give her a day off! She works from the time this place opens to the time it closes! When will she have the time to go to a gym or find something that isn't fast food?! I'd gain weight too if the only thing I could ever do was eat junk food and work!"

Brooke launched herself off the floor the moment Dmytro shut his mouth, and Phạm almost flinched with how fast it happened. "How can you defend her?! Why are you attacking _me_ instead of agreeing?!" she demanded. "Your biology would never allow someone like her to be your mate! Your biology will only allow you to be with someone who can protect you and take care of you! And that's me!" The red in her eyes was beginning to swallow the dark pink of her irises.

Dmytro was not about to be out-done though, because his grey completely disappeared underneath all the red. Phạm began trembling in fear. She never wanted to become the reason why he was that angry. "YOU ARE NOT MY MATE! YOU WILL NEVER BE MY MATE! SHE IS MY MATE EVEN IF YOU REFUSE TO ACCEPT IT! MY BIOLOGY WILL NEVER GIVE ME SOMEONE I CAN'T STAND! So you can stop bringing up my biology like it'll change just because you like me." Dmytro's rage and completely red eyes suddenly disappeared. His bright grey eyes came back like they never disappeared.

Phạm watched as Brooke started panting in fury, and she looked like she was about to foam at the mouth. "Biology _can_ change! I'll prove it to you! I'll make you fall for me! I'll make you realise I'm your true mate!"

Phạm watched the manic look in her boss's eyes fade along with the red. Her boss looked like she was calm and back to normal. Phạm knew better. It was the calm before the storm, and she was terrified of how far her boss would go to make her insane claims come true even if it was impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is kind of short. But I'm trying not to write more than my brain likes. I don't want to over-exert myself and then burn out. It's not fair to you guys. Thank you for reading and leaving the kudos! And the subscription! My update schedule is out of wack. And starting next week, I'll be updating slower because the laptop I'm using isn't mine and will be returned to my sibling's high school. So I'll be updating from my phone and then sometimes from the library computers. I hope to be able to buy my laptop finally, if my mom will just let me choose instead of waiting for my uncle to decide.


	10. Dmytro Makes it Official

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dmytro officially asks Phạm Trà on a date, much to the irritation of Brooke. Douglas makes his place romantic for them.
> 
> Warnings: Mild swearing

After he yelled at Brooke, Dmytro stormed out of Magic Shop after giving Ms. Phạm his number and almost ran to Douglas's house. He stood waiting outside his friend's apartment, pacing back and forth in front of the door. His rage was boiling over, and he was doing his best to turn it down to at least a simmer. He was shocked that Brooke would blatantly point out Ms. Phạm's weight gain in front of others. He'd noticed she'd gotten a little rounder around her waist and neck, but he knew that he shouldn't comment about anyone's body if they couldn't fix it in ten seconds. He had enough respect for other human beings to not say anything unnecessarily mean. It was dehumanizing and proved how much of a terrible human being someone was if they'd actually said it. And Brooke proved how much of a terrible human being she was earlier in the morning.

Dmytro could feel his blood begin to heat up again, and his eyes were hurting enough for him to see black spots. He shook his head to try coming back to reality. It worked slightly, and Dmytro calmed down enough to wave at Douglas as he finally showed up and unlocked his apartment door. Once Dmytro was inside, he immediately opened the freezer and stuck his head in. The icy air temporarily froze his brain enough for him to shove his rage back into the small hole it crawled out of; Dmytro pulled his head of the freezer and shut the door with a smile on his face. He was feeling a little hungry after calming down and seeing the frozen pizza, but he decided not to eat anything until dinner. He had to make sure Douglas had enough food too, even if it meant he was hungry for a while.

Douglas stood in his room with his arms crossed, waiting for Dmytro with an eyebrow raised. "What was that all about?"

Dmytro shrugged and said, "I don't know. Something in me just snapped when Brooke talked about Ms. Phạm like that. I can understand her asking me if I'm sure Ms. Phạm is my true mate. I've heard rumors about people choosing the wrong true mate. But to just shit all over her like she's not even human? That crossed the line. And then Brooke had the nerve to say my biology had a complex mind of its own. It doesn't! All it knows is that I have a true mate, and Ms. Phạm is that." A thought crossed Dmytro's mind. "Douglas, is it possible for people to not have mates ever? In general? Like, no mate and no true mate?"

"Yeah. That was the first thing we learning in the class at college. Some people just don't have mates in life. There's nothing wrong with them; there's no mutation in the brain or genes or biology. They just have zero romantic or sexual attraction to people, hence the reason why they have no mates. There were reports of people suddenly gaining the ability to see auras later in life while others never gained the ability. They were born without the ability, and then they either got it back or never did. It's a lot more common than the government wants us to think. Oh! I even read that some people _lose_ the ability to see auras after experiencing a traumatic event and not having a proper support group. So if their partner didn't support them properly when their dog died, they'd lose their ability to see auras. It was really cool to learn about," Douglas added, relaxing into his gaming chair.

Dmytro stared at the floor, lost in thought. _What if I don't support her properly and she loses her ability see auras? Will we even stay together if that happens? I don't want to lose her before we even go through our first fight!_ Shaking himself out of his stupor, Dmytro stared his friend down. "I want to ask her out officially before anyone snatches her up. I want to take her out on a date tonight, but I'm not welcome anywhere that's nice. And we're not technically mated, so I doubt we can even persuade them."

Douglas gave Dmytro a sly smile and nodded. "I got you covered. That bitch won't know how to get Phạm Trà to doubt herself after tonight. I fucking hate Brooke. She'll try to convince your girl that she's not your true mate, so you better not fuck this night up. Let her know that you like her so much even your biology is full agreement. Don't fail to mention that your biology never fully agrees with you about mates. It'll make her feel special, and that's what you need to make sure Brooke doesn't get in her head. Go find her. Give me a couple hours. I'll make my place your fancy restaurant. I'll even be the waiter."

"Thanks man. You're the best." Dmytro rose to his feet, having unknowingly sat on the floor while he was thinking, and rushed out of the apartment to find his true mate. Luckily, he caught her as she was leaving Magic Shop. She blushed as she looked at him and avoided his gaze; he pretended not to notice Brooke glaring holes into his skull.

"H-ello," she greeted him. He smiled sweetly at her, adoring her stutter. "Th-ank you f-or de-fending me ear-lier. You d-idn't h-ave to."

"Of course I did," he assured her. "Do you really think I'm going to let that biii-jerk, bi-jerk, make fun of you for being human? I like you. I like you as more than a friend. And I want to take you out on a real date. Will you go to dinner with me?"

Ms. Phạm finally brought her gaze up to Dmytro, stopping abruptly. A shy smile graced her features, and her dark brown eyes glowed faintly. Dmytro watched as tiny Pink Madder spots popped into existence in her aura and almost squealed in excitement. "S-ure."

"Sweet! Give Douglas a couple hours to set everything up. I'm an unmated Alpha, so I can't take you to any nice restaurants. Is that okay?" he asked her. She nodded and began walking again, taking her time. Dmytro also took his time to walk with her, wanting to talk with her and warm her up before dinner.

**~~~~~**

Dmytro knocked on Douglas's door an hour and a half later, still laughing at his friend's text of 'Ready for your disposal, Idiot.'; being called an idiot was hilarious to Dmytro because Douglas normally called him other things using worse language.

The door opened, and Douglas stood in the door frame wearing a bow-tie with his pink polo shirt. Ms. Phạm snorted while Dmytro full on laughed. "Welcome to Douglas Diner. A table for two?" Douglas asked, pretending not to hear them. Dmytro nodded and followed his friend inside, Ms. Phạm right behind him. Douglas's dining table had been decorated with a single, pillar candle and two fancy glasses on either side of it. The lighting of the room was low, giving it a romantic feel. Unfortunately, the kitchen light was bright and wasn't blocked very well by the entryway and short bar.

"I-t's p-retty!" Ms. Phạm gushed. She headed over to the table and set her stuff on the floor before sitting down. Dmytro, too slow to be a gentleman, decided to pick her stuff off the floor and hand it to Douglas, who then set it on the short bar, blocking some more of the kitchen light. Dmytro pushed Ms. Phạm's seat in a little before taking his own seat across from her.

"I can't wait to know what you think of dinner. I also hope you're not allergic to anything," Dmytro mused, suddenly afraid he was going to screw up the dinner. Ms. Phạm's giggle eased his worries.

"I-'m all-ergic to d-ogs," she assured him. Another shy smile graced her features, warming her skin and giving her a healthy glow. A plate of lasagna was placed in front of her first and Dmytro second.

"Lasagna has been prepared for you tonight, straight from the freezer and cooked from the oven's heat. I will return with your excellent, all natural lemonade straight from the store. Enjoy your meal while you wait for your drinks," Douglas said, purposely making it seem like store food was fancy. Dmytro silently thanked Douglas that he had a sense of humor as Ms. Phạm giggled again. Douglas left and was back before they even picked up their forks. "I will now retreat to my room, the kitchen light is off, and I will drink the rest of the lemonade because I'm a thirsty bitch. I'll be back when Dmytro texts me. Have a nice dinner." Ms. Phạm giggled a final time before waving at him.

"So, I'd like to know how you'd feel about becoming my girlfriend. Officially," Dmytro said. He took a bite of his lasagna, almost spitting it out because it burned his mouth but managed to do the "fire-breathing dragon" to cool it down enough to swallow. "That was fun."

"I d-on't kn-ow if we sh-ould d-ate," Ms. Phạm expressed doubtfully, blowing off her piece of lasagna and eating it gracefully. "B-rooke w-ould h-ate me."

Dmytro took a cooled bite of his lasagna, successfully not looking like a fool in front of his true mate. "Brooke would hate anyone I show interest in if it's not her. She doesn't even like Douglas, but she tolerates him because our auras are the same, though his is a little darker. Besides, I can teach you how to protect yourself if you'd like. I might not always be there to protect you like I was today. I'd love to date you officially. We can even keep it secret if you'd like. I don't mind. As long as you're comfortable and happy, I'm happy with whatever you choose."

Ms. Phạm took another bite of lasagna, getting halfway through her dinner, and sighed. "W-hy do you w-ant to d-ate me? I-'m fat."

"And?" Dmytro questioned. He immediately backtracked before he could see how much that could have hurt his mate. "Poor choice of words. What I mean to say is this: even if you've gained weight because of Brooke's terrible management skills, I'd still love to be with you. If you want, I can help you lose weight. I'm down for whatever makes you happy. I really like you. Even my biology fully agrees with me on dating you, and my biology has never agreed with anyone other than thinking they're cute. My biology thinks you're perfect. Even with the first mate I had, my biology screamed at me and said he wasn't the one. We never even got to date. With you, my biology is screaming at me to hurry and mate with you."

Ms. Phạm blushed heavily and took a sip of lemonade. "Um..."

"My biology is a secret pervert. Honestly, I've never heard it scream at me like that before. You're the only who's made it want to get straight to mating." Dmytro shook his head. "I can't speak properly. I keep saying the wrong things trying to make you feel better. I'm so sorry."

Fortunately for Dmytro, Ms. Phạm laughed out loud; she threw her head back and almost tipped her chair too far back because she was laughing so hard. When she finally calmed down, Dmytro was finishing off his lemonade, attempting to cool down his body that was hot with embarrassment. "I'll date you."

Dmytro's eyes bugged out of his skull, as did Ms. Phạm's, when he heard her smooth reply. "Yes! Awesome! Thank you! Oh man. I'm so excited to be official. Should we keep it a secret so Brooke doesn't keep you on the register for the rest of your life? Or do you want to let everyone know?"

"Ev-eryone c-an kn-ow," Ms. Phạm replied. Her smile was small and nervous, and Dmytro hesitantly put his hand on her wrist in a comforting gesture.

"I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're comfortable. Trust me," he assured her, his grey boring into hers. She nodded once, and they finished their dinner quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a lot this chapter! I actually enjoyed writing out their little date scene.


	11. Phạm Trà Is Scared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phạm Trà has been officially dating Dmytro for two weeks when Kilian Hill makes his appearance in her life.

Phạm was shyly taking Dmytro's order and saw his eyes flash red. She figured Brooke was behind her and quickly finished up his order before she had the chance to shove her out of the way like she'd been doing for the last two weeks. After Phạm and Dmytro strolled into Magic Shop holding hands, showing everyone that they were together, Brooke had been doing all she could to keep them apart. Every time Dmytro came up to order a smoothie from Phạm, Brooke would shove the cashier out of the way to take his order instead, even if it meant the other customers had to wait longer for their smoothies. On more than one occasion, Phạm ended up with a bruised hip or elbow as she caught herself on the counter in her attempt to not fall.

Dmytro had ranted to Phạm about how rude Brooke was being and how it was unprofessional that she would even think to her assault own employee just because they're dating someone. Though overwhelmed by his irritation towards her problem with Brooke, Phạm was more surprised by how much he cared about it at all. When she brought up her surprise to him, Dmytro went on another near-rant about how much he cared about her. Phạm couldn't contain her smile at his passionate declaration of his like for her, and he'd stopped to laugh and smile with her.

"Seems like you're going faster recently. You better not be making any mistakes like you normally do," Brooke sneered, sidling up to Phạm as Dmytro walked away. Phạm was grateful Brooke didn't try to take over but couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right about her being so relaxed. "Don't mess up this next order." As Brooke disappeared to make Dmytro's order, a Beta came to the register. He had purple eyes and an incompatible aura. 

Phạm's blood ran cold as she realised it was the Beta who'd harassed her at the bus stop and the one she'd accidentally hit with a door when she was job hunting. "Wh-at k-ind of sm-oothie w-ould y-ou l-ike?" Her stuttering was worse than usual, and she could faintly hear Brooke snickering behind her even over the sound of the smoothie machine. The purple-eyed Beta looked up from his phone and smiled when he recognised her.

"So you work here now? Man, I didn't think I'd get lucky enough to find you again after you ran away from me. Have you gained weight? You look cuter, honestly. I like a woman with curves. You were a stick before, so I was being nice by calling you hot. It's not like anyone else was going to want you since you didn't have anything to offer. You get what I mean, right?" he asked, not bothering to order. Phạm stayed silent and tried not to look at him. She hoped that he would order and leave her alone or just straight leave. He did neither. He sighed and kept going. "I guess not. What can I expect from some Omega? Honestly, I'm surprised none of ya'll have died out yet. What with your tempers and everything. Whatever. I'll have a Very Berry smoothie filled with protein."

Phạm took his order, glancing behind him to locate Dmytro, and politely gestured for him to stand aside for any other customer. He didn't seem to get the hint and stood there with an appreciative stare. Phạm felt gross under his gaze and spoke up to make him move over. "P-lease st-and o-ver th-ere." With an eye roll, he did.

"Oh. You need my name, don't you. The name is Kilian Hill. Don't forget it, sweet cheeks," he suggested. Phạm barely contained her shudder of disgust, and watched as he at least moved to the wait counter. Dmytro suddenly showed up in front of her, a concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He eyed the Beta next to him and put his hand on Phạm's in support. She could feel her heartbeat slowing, and the minute trembling slowed to a stop.

"I m-et him o-nce. He w-as dis-gusting to m-e." Phạm leaned closer and dropped her voice to a whisper. "He s-cares m-e." Dmytro's eyes flashed red briefly before he brought his rage under control. He studied Phạm's face and figured out she didn't want him to react unless he had to. She was already terrified without putting a major target on her back.

Unfortunately, Kilian noticed they were holding hands and moved back to the register. "What are you doing touching my Omega? You could get hurt you know. You're an Alpha. No one will believe anything you say, and you're weak."

Dmytro calmly turned to the Beta and smiled politely, tightening his grip on Phạm's hand. She watched on in confusion, her heart rate spiking once more. "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but me and this Omega are dating. We're compatible, and I've decided I wanted to follow through with courting her. So please don't hit on her. She has a boyfriend, it's me, and it's inappropriate to harass an employee while they're working." Phạm's heart grew warm.

The corner of Kilian's lip drew up in a snarl, which he made verbal. The hairs on the back of Phạm's neck stood on end, and she could feel Brooke's presence behind her. "There's no way an Omega like her would want an Alpha. Especially not one that acts like a Beta. An Omega takes an Alpha as a trophy, not as a mate. What this little wench needs in a Beta that's going to give her what she needs. She needs a Beta that's going to treat her like she deserves. That Beta is me."

"I d-on't wa-nt y-ou," Phạm said. She finally managed to speak up for herself and was trying not to regret it. Luckily, Dmytro still had his hand on hers to keep her calm. The warmth from his skin made her feel better. "I l-ike h-im."

"Is that any way to talk to a customer? You get a month of cashier duty again. Keep up the disrespect, and I'll fire you. But don't worry. Maybe this nice Beta will hire you as his maid. I'm sure you'll do well taking orders for a gentleman like him," Brooke simpered. Dmytro's eyes flashed red at Brooke, but he didn't say anything. 

Phạm knew she couldn't do anything to upset Brooke further, and she knew Dmytro didn't want to make things worse either, so she dropped her head in submission and stayed silent.

"Good. Now, Kilian, here's your smoothie. Come back any time. Have a nice day!" Brooke chirped. When Kilian left Magic Shop, Brooke yanked Phạm back so hard she almost fell backwards. "And you. You are on cashier duty until you _quit_ because I won't fire you. You'll be punished for as long as I live. Dmytro can't save you either. So say goodbye to him now. You won't be seeing him until you give up because I'm about to work you to the bone. You'll be too exhausted to see him after work. Good luck with your dating life."

Phạm stared at Dmytro, whose eyes snapped back into red, and felt herself begin to tremble. She didn't know how she'd find a new job, and she could feel the numbing cold seeping into her limbs as she imagined never being able to see Dmytro outside of work again. _I'm not going to make it out of here alive. She's going to break us apart and kill me before I can even manage to get an hour's break. Goodbye Dmytro. It was fun while it lasted. Oh goodness. I'm terrified._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. Now you've finally met Kilian Hill. He's a douche. And you'll hate him. Isn't he perfect for Brooke? Wrong! They both deserve pain. Have fun waiting longer for the next chapter as I work it out.


End file.
